Engine won't turn over after clutch adjustment *Update 09/05*

[ImpulseRocket]

If it were me and all of the mechanical aspects are as they should be I would pull the carb, take it apart, and blast it out with some carb cleaner and then some air. Teeny tiny fuel passages don't take much to block up and cause a run or start issue and these carbs and fuel tanks are known to have junk floating around. It's entirely plausible that you just happened to suck up a bit of debris from the bowl and the timing is pure coincidence. Beyond that, if it idles and runs fine and just became a bit harder to start, I wouldn't personally sweat it too much. Just my suggestion to cover all bases.

 

[Emcee]

Giving a bit of throttle is pretty much key to getting these things to start.

I'm at around 600 miles on mine at this point and it starts a lot easier than it used to. Starts up pretty much immediately to be honest. Because you've outlined your startup procedure here, I'll outline mine. It may differ from other people's but it's what I do and I have no problems with it.

Cold engine. (Air temp). Choke turned on. Start pedalling up to maybe 7 mph or so (nearly as fast as I can on rear gear #3), engage the clutch. Keep pedalling until the engine starts/starts to kick (maybe 2 or 3 seconds). Kill choke and give it some gas. Bam, I'm on my way. At this point, I stop pedalling. Give it another minute or two or three and it's up to 50% throttle with no problems. Another few minutes after that when it's somewhat warmed up I start going more. After about 7 minutes it'll hit 33~ish mph no problem (44t gear so probably around 7200 rpm or so best guess, I don't have an rpm gauge).

What kind of cars have you worked on? I have a lot of automotive experience as well and I'll tell you an old school carbureted engine is A LOT different than a modern day fuel injected one, especially when it comes to tuning etc. Back in the day pumping the gas before you start was just how it was done.

My bike won't run if I have the choke on 100%. What's the reason behind only opening the choke 30-50% for two minutes then turning off the choke entirely? I used to have the choke off 100% now I do 50% for a couple minutes and then choke off 100% but what's the reason behind?

So I ran my bike for a couple minutes then let it sit for an hour after using it. I wanted to see how the bike ran after an hour because I noticed it has no problem firing up once it's warm. I kept peddling after letting go of the clutch and she fired right up!

To answer your question, I did very basic stuff on my 97 Town Car and 03 Buick Century (mostly body work) then had two 2000-2005 Impalas (02 w/ 3.8 and 03/ 3.4) and that was where I got my hands dirty

 

[Emcee]

If it were me and all of the mechanical aspects are as they should be I would pull the carb, take it apart, and blast it out with some carb cleaner and then some air. Teeny tiny fuel passages don't take much to block up and cause a run or start issue and these carbs and fuel tanks are known to have junk floating around. It's entirely plausible that you just happened to suck up a bit of debris from the bowl and the timing is pure coincidence. Beyond that, if it idles and runs fine and just became a bit harder to start, I wouldn't personally sweat it too much. Just my suggestion to cover all bases.

Funny you say that...

I pulled apart the JRL NT carb. I wasn't sure what could of been wrong because it was clean. I attached a photo to explain this better.

I took the float needle and float from the JRL carb and put it in a stock NT carb and nothing, no fuel in the bowl. I then put the JRL carb back together. Are carb parts interchangeable or are they unique to each carb?

 

[ImpulseRocket]

Funny you say that...

I pulled apart the JRL NT carb. I wasn't sure what could of been wrong because it was clean. I attached a photo to explain this better.

I took the float needle and float from the JRL carb and put it in a stock NT carb and nothing, no fuel in the bowl. I then put the JRL carb back together. Are carb parts interchangeable or are they unique to each carb?

No, even between other NT carbs there can be differences. Slide diameters, needles, etc can vary enought to cause issues. Best to keep the parts with the carbs.

 

[weefek]

My bike won't run if I have the choke on 100%. What's the reason behind only opening the choke 30-50% for two minutes then turning off the choke entirely? I used to have the choke off 100% now I do 50% for a couple minutes and then choke off 100% but what's the reason behind?

So I ran my bike for a couple minutes then let it sit for an hour after using it. I wanted to see how the bike ran after an hour because I noticed it has no problem firing up once it's warm. I kept peddling after letting go of the clutch and she fired right up!

To answer your question, I did very basic stuff on my 97 Town Car and 03 Buick Century (mostly body work) then had two 2000-2005 Impalas (02 w/ 3.8 and 03/ 3.4) and that was where I got my hands dirty

I'd love to have a 97 town car...

I had an 03/04 buick century in perfect condition about ~10 years ago... Got it from gramps with like 50k on it.... wish i would have kept that car, it was mint and rode like a dream. I regret selling it every day of my life. I regret getting rid of most of my old cars to be honest.

 

[Emcee]

I'd love to have a 97 town car...

I had an 03/04 buick century in perfect condition about ~10 years ago... Got it from gramps with like 50k on it.... wish i would have kept that car, it was mint and rode like a dream. I regret selling it every day of my life. I regret getting rid of most of my old cars to be honest.

Here she is. This is circa 2014. I had another one that was just a different trim series but it caught on fire in my driveway. I bought her with 95k, from down south. I went to the feds in 2014 and had to scrap the entire cat somebody called the town about an eyesore in the driveway without plates and registration (you MUST in NYS have plates, registration and insured if it's in your driveway) the guy who would cut our lawn took the 26s off, my 2 15" subs and we had no choice but to scrap it. My parents are old and it's not their financial responsibility at the end of the day.


So, I did a cold start with my bike to see how pedaling until the engine starts and it fires right up. I never had to do that before, maybe I adjusted my clutch so correctly that I have to start the bike correctly now. Before I would stop peddling, let go of the clutch and hit the gas.

Now what's the deal with starting the choke half open? Because I just did that and it started losing power after about 40 yards. I typically run it choke off from the beginning considering my engine and spark plug shows rich fuel mixture. I received an offset intake and a better air filter. My air filter is literally at the back of my bike so I suspect not good air flow so I'm hoping to get better air flow with the offset considering the air filter has room to breath now.

 

[Deleted member 33388]

Here she is. This is circa 2014. I had another one that was just a different trim series but it caught on fire in my driveway. I bought her with 95k, from down south. I went to the feds in 2014 and had to scrap the entire cat somebody called the town about an eyesore in the driveway without plates and registration (you MUST in NYS have plates, registration and insured if it's in your driveway) the guy who would cut our lawn took the 26s off, my 2 15" subs and we had no choice but to scrap it. My parents are old and it's not their financial responsibility at the end of the day.


So, I did a cold start with my bike to see how pedaling until the engine starts and it fires right up. I never had to do that before, maybe I adjusted my clutch so correctly that I have to start the bike correctly now. Before I would stop peddling, let go of the clutch and hit the gas.

Now what's the deal with starting the choke half open? Because I just did that and it started losing power after about 40 yards. I typically run it choke off from the beginning considering my engine and spark plug shows rich fuel mixture. I received an offset intake and a better air filter. My air filter is literally at the back of my bike so I suspect not good air flow so I'm hoping to get better air flow with the offset considering the air filter has room to breath now.

My wife's car is a 90 town car, she calls her Lola

 

[Emcee]

Alright guys,

So I added the offset intake and air filter. 100% preforms better. I even got back up to 23 MPH and wasnt full throttle.

For some reason on my way home, my clutch was not acting right. My wheel was able to move freely when I adjusted it. I pulled my clutch lever to the last notch and adjusted it based on that as that is where I will have it most often. My bike has a hard time moving where it used to move freely. Do I move it a notch down with the flower nut?

 

[Chainlube]

Check that your cable isn't slipping at the arm.

 

[Emcee]

Check that your cable isn't slipping at the arm.

Like where the screw tightens it?

Also side note. I went with a NGK BR6HS instead of the BP and man, my china girl loves that BR more than the BP.